A 28-year-old man was arrested on August 19, 2026, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Powai by posing as a transperson and entering her paying guest (PG) house on the pretext of warding off the evil eye.

According to the police, the accused, Anil Sheshrao Shinde, would allegedly dress in a sari in his spare time and approach people posing as a transgender person. He would claim to know special rituals that could solve people's problems or fulfil their wishes.

A case was registered at the Powai Police Station on August 18, 2026, under Sections 64(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The police said that this woman, an airhostess, would occasionally stay at this paying guest house. According to the Investigating Officer Ramchandra Pinjarkar, her husband, who worked in Varanasi, had dengue and was admitted in the hospital.

“Shinde came to the PG in the pretense of being a transgender person who can rid the owner of the PG, an old woman aged 75, of her evil eye. After that, he entered the woman’s bedroom and offered to ward off the evil eye that was causing her problems. He closed the door, asked her to lay down on the bed and touched her inappropriately. When she resisted, he threatened to harm her and then sexually assaulted her. After that he took ₹300 saying the evil eye was warded off,” Mr. Pinjarkar said.

Mr. Shinde was later seen fleeing in an auto. The police tracked CCTV footage and other resources to trace him to a slum area in Kalwa, Thane, where he was arrested.

Mr. Shinde is married, and has a son. A local court has remanded him to police custody until August 24, 2026.

Published - August 21, 2026 03:14 pm IST